


Al-iksr al saa’da, or The Elixir of Happiness

by pagan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, HP: EWE, Humour, Post-Hogwarts, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-27
Updated: 2011-09-27
Packaged: 2017-10-24 02:35:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/257959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pagan/pseuds/pagan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the worthy, the Al-iksr al-saa'da shows the way to ultimate happiness. For Draco, his search for happiness leads him to a most unexpected consequence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Al-iksr al saa’da, or The Elixir of Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to **MiHnn** for her honest and frank opinion on the earlier drafts of the story and for helping me shape it to its resultant end. And to **Lia** – thank you for being a patient and wonderful beta. In line with the theme of the story, _shukran, habibi_ , to the both of you. :)

_**Al-iksr al saa’da, or The Elixir of Happiness (NC-17)**_  
 **Author:** [](http://pagan-toon76.livejournal.com/profile)[**pagan_toon76**](http://pagan-toon76.livejournal.com/)  
 **Title:** _Al-iksr al saa’da_ , or The Elixir of Happiness  
 **Prompt:** [#8](http://deflower-draco.livejournal.com/2863.html?thread=32303#t32303)  
 **Ship:** Draco/Hermione  
 **Rating:** NC17  
 **Warnings:** Explicit sexual situations  
 **Length:** 3,903 words  
 **Summary:** For the worthy, the Al-iksr al-saa'da shows the way to ultimate happiness. For Draco, his search for happiness leads him to a most unexpected consequence.  
 **Disclaimer:** I only own the plot  
 **Author’s Notes:** Many thanks to **MiHnn** for her honest and frank opinion on the earlier drafts of the story and for helping me shape it to its resultant end. And to **Lia** – thank you for being a patient and wonderful beta. In line with the theme of the story, _shukran, habibi_ , to the both of you. :)

  
  
 _11:44 pm_  
19 February, 2000  
East Wing, Malfoy Manor,  
Wiltshire, England

Draco looked at the phial clutched in his hand; it promised happiness, however fleeting and imaginary it may be. The ancient Arabic texts he’d scoured day after day, night after night in search of that _elusive_ feeling promised it would last an hour, maybe two, depending on how adept the potioneer had been whilst brewing _Al-iksr al saa’da_ , the elixir of happiness.

After the war, after the trials, after _everything_ , Draco felt as if he would never be happy again. All those months of living under the strain of being forced to kill or be killed, fearing for his very life and that of his parents, the agony of waiting for a decision by the Wizengamot on whether his liberty would be taken away, all that time had somehow leached away all feelings, save for this little kernel of melancholy that had somehow refused to leave him alone.

He thought he had found some semblance of happiness in his relationship with Pansy, _naively_ believing that even after _everything_ , she would still stand by him.

Naiveté never did suit Draco Malfoy.

As he sat down heavily in his chair in the makeshift laboratory, he recalled bitterly how eight months before he had walked in on her passionately kissing Nott, the latter’s hands gripping her bum as Pansy’s fingers hurriedly unbuttoned his shirt. Even now, months after the incident, Draco could see in his mind’s eye Nott’s large hands on Pansy, his knuckles white as he firmly kneaded her flesh. It was as if the image was seared indelibly into Draco’s mind, a demon that had somehow taken up residence in his soul and could not be exorcised.

And the worst part was that every time he replayed that scene in his mind, he got hard, almost painfully so. It was ironic and sick that the only time he ever got a reprieve from the bone-crushing sadness that was his constant companion was when he closed his eyes and summoned up the image of Pansy with Nott.

He had walked away then, the couple oblivious to his unplanned presence in their need to be together.

If he had been unhappy before, that little experience had sunk him to the depths of despair. That little kernel of melancholy deep within him grew and grew until it felt as if that was all he was made up of. For three whole weeks he did not leave his bedroom, only barely surviving on what food the house-elves had insisted he force down. His mother ignored him, for the very reason that she too was in the grips of her own misery, crying by day and drinking by night, trying to ease her pain and worry for Lucius, who was now spending the first of his fifteen-year sentence in Azkaban.

He didn’t know if it was desperation – the need to actually alleviate that immense well of sadness threatening to overflow his chest every day – that prompted him to finally leave his room in an effort to see if the Malfoy library had something – any potion, any spell, any charm, _anything_ – to make him feel happy again.

It took him almost a month, but he finally found references to an elixir of happiness. Almost as soon as he read about it, Draco knew that this was the answer to his problems. It didn’t matter that happiness came in a potion; he needed to be reminded what joy and elation felt like. He needed to just _feel_ again.

His search had led him to various old Arabic texts on alchemy and astrology, until he finally stumbled upon the _Kitab Al-sihr_.

The Book of Magic.

Written at the height of the Islamic world’s contribution to astronomy, astrology and mathematics, it consisted of eighty-eight volumes covering topics as diverse as alchemy, how spherical astronomy affected the brewing of certain potions, how to summon a _djinn_ , how to determine the position of the celestial bodies with a simple incantation, and it even had one full volume solely focussed on Arithmancy.

But most importantly, it contained the list of ingredients to, and the method of brewing, _Al-iksr al saa’da_. The elixir of happiness.

It had taken him six months to procure the requisite ingredients and to brew the potion. It was completed two days ago, but a sudden fear and an onset of nervousness stopped him from gulping it down right there and then.

It had taken him two days to gather up his courage, and now he stared at the phial of iridescent purple liquid as if it contained the answers to his prayers.

“Well, time to man up,” he murmured to himself. “It’s now or never.” He tipped the phial to his lips and tasted… sweetness. The liquid slid over his tongue and down his throat, leaving a soft, tingling feeling behind.

His eyes closed of their own volition and he felt almost _relaxed_ …

“Umm,” he mumbled. He frowned when he felt a hand – _an unfamiliar hand_ – tugging at his groin area and before that thought could register fully, he felt something warm and moist envelop his cock.

“Ungh!” Struggling to open his eyes, he reached out with his hands towards his groin and encountered what felt like a head of soft hair. He gripped handfuls of it and whoever – or _whatever_ , he thought worriedly – held him in their mouth gave a gasp and released him with a soft _plop_.

Draco managed to prise his eyes open then and saw, to his utmost horror, Hermione Granger kneeling between his legs, his hands in her wild hair, and her mouth – lips wet and slightly open – inches above his cock. At that, his recalcitrant member gave a little twitch and grew even harder and longer.

“Didn’t you like that, Malfoy?” Granger asked, a worried look in her eye.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” To say he was shocked at seeing her was putting it mildly. He hadn’t seen Granger since his trial before the Wizengamot, where she’d testified that he had refused to identify her and Potter and the Weasel to his Aunt Bellatrix when they were brought to the Manor by Snatchers.

Granger tilted her head to the side, causing her cheek to brush against his cock.

It felt as if all the blood in his head rushed straight to that point between his legs. Almost comically, his cock stiffened perceptibly and bobbed slightly. Draco inwardly groaned.

“You don’t remember?” She looked surprised. “You invited me over. You wanted to show me this new potion you were brewing and…”

_Right, the potion!_

Draco tuned Granger out as he quickly assessed the situation at hand.

_This – this must be the result of the potion._

He stared at Granger as she leaned over and blew softly on his cock. He shuddered and lost his train of thought.

She smiled and dipped her head towards him; he felt her mouth around his cock again, warm and wet and – _Merlin! Was that her tongue?_ He groaned as that talented muscle feathered around the head of his cock before she opened her mouth wider and took all of him in.

_Is this supposed to be happiness?_

Another flick from that expert tongue made him moan out loud.

_A blow job from Granger?_

He felt her hands running up his thighs and then saw her reach down to fondle his sac.

_Gods, it even feels better when she does it._

Feeling certain that this was what the potion deemed necessary to pull him out of his depression, Draco let go of his grip on Granger’s hair and adjusted it so as to cradle the back of her head instead, controlling the speed and depth of her taking him into her mouth. Who was he to complain at what an ancient text deemed as necessary, he thought distractedly. He would just enjoy it.

All too soon, he felt his balls tighten from the onslaught of her tongue and – _Merlin’s tits! Her teeth!_ – and then he was coming into her mouth, groaning aloud at the feeling of bliss that accompanied his orgasm.

Warmth seemed to settle deep into his bones and he closed his eyes a happy, satisfied young man, only to open them again when he felt Granger unbuttoning his shirt and pulling him out of his chair.

“Off with those, Malfoy,” she said.

He gulped. Was it what he was hoping it would be? He’d never had sex before and all his dreams and fantasies had never felt as real as this.

He snorted to himself. Who was he kidding, he mused. In all his dreams, he would always wake up just as he was about to sheath himself into – and his feelings of anticipation dampened somewhat at the thought – Pansy.

Stop thinking, he chastised himself. Granger had already removed all his clothes while he had been thinking and mulling over this new direction she had taken, and was now slowly undressing herself.

_Enjoy the effects of the potion._

He watched as she briskly unbuttoned her blouse, flicking the buttons open one by one. Her breasts were revealed – encased in a plain white bra – as she shrugged out of her blouse. She bent over and unzipped her trousers and Draco noticed her knickers were the same white cotton as her bra. He could feel his cock stirring to life again.

“Wait,” Draco said, as Granger started to unhook her bra. “Let me.”

She dutifully turned around and presented Draco with her back. It was smooth and white and unblemished, and Draco couldn’t resist touching it. He ran a finger down her spine until it rested at the small of her back and felt her shivering as he did so.

He moved to unclasp her bra, deftly unhooking it. Smoothing his hands up and over her shoulders, he caught the straps in each palm and pushed it down her arms, letting the bra fall to the floor unheeded.

She turned around then, giving him an unrestricted view of her breasts, rising up and down with each breath. Her nipples, he noticed, were a pale brown. He reached up and cupped a breast with each hand.

“Your skin feels so soft,” he said, wonderingly.

She hummed in response. She raised her hands and put her palms over his. “Like this,” she said, as she showed him how to touch her, her fingers guiding his as they rubbed and plucked at her nipples. They puckered and her breasts jiggled delightfully as her breathing accelerated.

Draco felt excitement rolling through him as Granger moved his right hand down over her ribcage, over her belly, straight to that point between her legs. She widened her stance and pushed his hands under the elastic of her knickers.

He felt wiry hair curling around his fingertips before Granger nudged him further – _down, down_ – until he felt the slippery smooth lips of her sex. She gave a jerk as he touched her there and slickness coated his fingers. He moved experimentally as Granger tugged at her knickers, now using both of her hands to roll them down her hips before kicking them off.

He stared at his hand between her legs; sensing no protest from her, he slipped one, then two fingers inside. She made a low mewl of pleasure and he started moving his fingers in and out of her warm, wet passage. Her walls hugged him tightly, warm and snug around his fingers. Every time he pumped in and out of her, he could see the tendons in his wrist moving smoothly. It excited him to no end and he couldn’t wait to feel what it would be like with his cock in there.

He felt Granger grab a hold of his cock, pumping it slowly with her right hand. Her left hand bumped his as she – as Draco suspected – searched for her clitoris.

Her mouth moved towards his and she kissed him. Draco parted his lips beneath the pressure from hers and reached out with his tongue to touch her. She parted her lips eagerly and welcomed him into her mouth.

He surged in, tongue tangling against hers as he wrapped one hand around her waist and the other in her hair. Granger in turn twined her hands around his neck and ground herself against him. She felt marvellous in his arms, all soft and supple and eager, just for him.

“Now,” she muttered, and Draco pulled her down onto the floor with him. He moved over her and settled himself between her legs. He took a good look first – her sex was reddish pink amidst the curling brown hair, glistening and welcoming – and then with his hand guiding himself, he fit into her slowly.

He made himself go slow; this was his first time and he wanted to savour it, even if it was only the product of his imagination duly assisted by the potion. He was going to revel in the tight, warm feeling of Granger’s walls closing in on him, on the throbbing veins of his cock, and to hell with the fact that the potion had picked Granger as his first, so to speak.

“Ooh,” Granger moaned as he slid in right to the end.

 _Merlin!_ Granger felt hot and wet and tight and downright sinful all at the same time.

“Yes,” she cooed as he withdrew and pushed back in again. Her fingers were back at her clit, rubbing furiously.

“Amazing,” he grunted as he pumped in and out slowly, relishing the feel of his first woman. “ _Bloody_ amazing.” He leaned over to kiss her hungrily.

Before long, he felt his control slipping; Granger was thrashing under him, muttering for him to fuck her harder and Merlin, he was going to give it to her!

He picked up the pace, plunging in and out so hard that his thrusts were mirrored by her breasts bouncing with each upstroke, her cries of pleasure a perfect counterpoint to every time his cock surged in deep.

She gave a keening wail, and he felt her climax: her walls rolling and clenching around him, seemingly pulling him even deeper into her, her body shuddering.

Again, that tight feeling in his balls and then – _there, yes, there!_

It was over.

He heaved a deep sigh. He felt Granger giving him a soft kiss as, eyes closing, he dropped down onto her. A trail of some emotion that he suspected was tenderness flowed through him at that gentle touch of her lips.

But most importantly there was also happiness, satiation and blissful satisfaction. All those feelings he’d thought he’d lost forever suddenly suffused him as he lost consciousness…

When he opened his eyes again, he realised he was on the floor of his laboratory, fully dressed although there was a big stain at the front of his trousers. It was daylight–

_Daylight? But that’s impossible! The book said the elixir’s effect should only have lasted two hours at the most._

He stood up quickly and suffered a short burst of vertigo for a second or two. Once it passed, he hastily made for the table where volume fifty-three of the _Kitab_ lay opened at page one hundred and eighteen.

__  
**Once the elixir has been successfully brewed, the person who ingests it will be suffused with feelings of happiness and contentment beyond imagining, dispelling all melancholia. The effects may last between one and two hours and will be dependent on how adept the potion-maker has been in brewing the elixir.**   


As Draco read the text, he realised he’d missed the last section of the explanation.

__  
**It has been recorded that for those in dire need, the elixir will induce a dream-like state that will last several hours.**   


_Damn translation charms! But how could this be? I knew I did everything– Merlin!_

Another section of text magically appeared before his eyes and, astonished, Draco read:

__  
**In this circumstance, the potion-maker who ingests it shall be shown that which will bring him ultimate happiness.**   


What does that mean? Draco thought as he went through what the potion had shown him last night.

 _Having sex brings me ultimate happiness?_ He shook his head. _That doesn’t make sense, unless– Merlin, Granger, she was in the– the dream! Does that mean– No!_

  
***

 _5:36 pm_  
22 August, 2000  
The Islamic District  
Cairo, Egypt

  
The _Felix Felicis_ made his blood sing and his body thrum as it coursed through him. He spotted his quarry standing not five feet away from the coffee shop he usually frequented after the end of classes. It was one he was certain no tourist had ever set foot in; it was small, cramped, dark and a little bit shabby, with the menu and the advertisements tacked on its walls written only in Arabic.

It was all these factors, however, that had attracted him to the little shop. He felt almost comfortable in there; there was no chance of him running into any of the other British wizards in Cairo (of which there were quite a number: several curse-breakers; plenty of vacationing families; a handful of university students, of which he was one).

 _She_ had never really taken to the coffee shop like he had.

After that fateful night in February, Draco had decided that if anything, he should reclaim his life and make a serious attempt to shake off the past and his unhappiness. He had thought long and hard about Granger’s presence in his dream and the explanation provided in the _Kitab_.

He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about it – _if anything_ – but what he knew with certainty was that all the hours spent researching the _Al-iksr al saa’da_ had reignited in him the desire to learn more.

It was with that in mind that he had left England to attend Al Azhar University in Cairo.

He told himself that it was because he was interested in what he could learn from the many learned men there, specifically in alchemy and advanced potion-making. Those were the things in the _Kitab_ which had fascinated him during the long hours of his search for _Al-iksr al saa’da_.

A little voice in his head, however, had tauntingly whispered that the reason he wanted to leave was so he could avoid even running into Granger in wizarding England, but he’d silenced that voice almost ruthlessly, packed up his things and left.

But fate had other plans for him, it seemed.

Instead of being able to forget about Granger in Cairo, instead of being able to immerse himself wholeheartedly in the lectures and classes conducted within those hidden parts of the university which housed Cairo’s wizarding academia, he was met with the woman herself when he’d arrived.

By some strange twist of fate, he was not to be free of Granger. He had not seen her at all in England in the preceding months; truth be told, he had not left the Manor unless he absolutely had to. But here, in Cairo, if he was not partnered with her during the practical lessons on potions, he was plagued by visions of her in his dreams at night.

As it was, he’d felt certain that the potion was right, and that Granger possessed the key to his ultimate happiness.

It was one thing to actually get to know her – they were close to becoming friends; being the only two British wizards in their course, they had naturally gravitated towards each other despite their shared past – but it was another thing altogether to persuade her that she was the one for him.

He had flirted with the idea of showing her the _Kitab_ and the text on _Al-iksr al saa’da_ but knowing her, she would have insisted on brewing the potion herself and then ingesting it. That would have taken too long and he hadn’t wanted to take the chance that it might show her someone or something other than him. _What if her ultimate happiness consisted of her getting back together with Weasley?_ No, it was unthinkable.

He had sat around, debating with himself what to do when the answer came to him.

 _Felix Felicis_. Liquid luck.

He had brewed it ages ago, and had brought one phial along with him to Cairo, just in case. And he had gulped it down just after class ended today, a little over ten minutes ago.

He knew Granger hardly ever frequented the coffee shop; it was just his very good luck that she did.

He quickly walked up to her and tapped her on the back. “Granger. Fancy a cup of qahwa?”

“Oh, Malfoy,” she said, sounding surprised. “You startled me. Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I thought you might be here and I could join you.”

Draco resisted the urge to punch his fist in the air.

Something of his glee must have shown, for Granger stared at him. “Is anything wrong, Malfoy?”

Trusting the _Felix Felicis_ , he opened his mouth and said, “I need a favour, Granger.”

She cocked her head to one side. “What is it?” she asked, looking curious and even a little bit concerned.

He took a deep breath and reminded himself of what was written in the _Kitab_. If he wanted a chance at ultimate happiness, he was going to have to take a leap of faith and just reach for it. He was planning how to approach such a delicate matter – was composing his speech, in fact – when he opened his mouth. But instead of what he had planned to say, he blurted out, “I was wondering if you would help relieve me of my virginity.”

 _Merlin, don’t hit me_ was foremost in his mind, followed immediately by _It’s the Felix Felicis!_ before he calmed down sufficiently to notice that Granger had not hit him. In fact, he was still alive and intact, meaning she had not hexed him either.

Yet.

He opened his mouth to explain but she cut him off.

“Wh-what did you say, Malfoy?” Hermione looked stunned.

_Oh._

_Well._

_Felix, don’t fail me now._ “I said, would you–” he started.

“Stop!” She clapped her hand over his mouth. She looked around to make sure no one else had overheard them.

He found that amusing and had to refrain from smiling, something he was sure would scuttle his efforts with Granger.

“Did you just say what I believe you just said?” she hissed.

He opened his mouth, ready to provide affirmation, but she beat him to it by saying, “Honestly? You want a Muggle-born like me t-to… to deflower you?”

He frowned. “If I wanted anyone else I wouldn’t have sought you out, now would I?”

She scowled in return. “You’ll forgive me if I’m not _leaping_ for joy.”

He noticed she didn’t exactly reject his proposal. In fact, she seemed to be _thinking_ about it; it was obvious from the frown between her brows to way she nibbled at her lower lip. He had been partnered with her long enough to recognise the signs.

Maybe things _were_ looking up for him.

He grinned suddenly, absolutely certain Granger would say yes in the end. He would find out her reasons why, later. But for now, he would bask in that little seed of happiness blooming inside him. He was almost giddy with it.

“Limited time offer, Granger; take it or leave it.”

_*khalas*_

_End notes: Arabic words/phrases courtesy of my time in the Middle East and in cases where my limited skills in Arabic failed me, there was Google Translate_   



End file.
